Willow Smith Recalls Being Bullied For Liking Rock Music: Being A Black Woman In The Metal Crowd Is Very Different

Willow Smith Recalls Being Bullied For Liking Rock Music: Being A Black Woman In The Metal Crowd Is Very Different

Willow Smith has recently opened up about her personal experiences with bullying when she was younger.

Specifically, in an interview with V Magazine, Willow Smith revealed that she faced backlash for being Black and enjoying genres like rock, metal, and pop-punk.

Initially, she first spoke on her upcoming album and revealed that she was excited to feature Avril Lavigne in her project. Willow Smith stated:

“I’m so excited that I’m going to be having a song on the album with Avril Lavigne. She is so iconic. From 13 to 16, she was my idol. It’s really nice to be able to have a quintessential pop-punk record with the pop-punk queen.”

However, she quickly segued to discussing how her tastes in music led to ostracism and bullying while in school. Willow said:

“[B]eing a Black woman in the metal crowd is very, very different on top of the pressures that the music industry puts on you. Now, it’s like an added pressure of the metal culture, the metal world, and just rock in general. I used to get bullied in school for listening to Paramore and My Chemical Romance.”

However, she revealed that she’s hopeful that she can help bring in more Black representation within the rock genre to let others know that they’re not alone. The artist said:

“Just through the music that I’m putting out right now and the representation that I can bring to the mix, I just hope that the Black girls who are listening to my music and listening to this album see that there’s more of us out there. It’s a real thing, you’re not alone. You’re not the only Black girl who wishes she could flip her hair to the side, and wear black eyeliner, you know what I mean?”

These sentiments are reminiscent of statements Willow made late last year regarding the ostracism she and Jaden Smith faced from the Black community. She recalled:

“Specifically with the African-American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit, like, ‘We’re not gonna take pride in them because they’re too different.'”

Jaden Smith, Willow Smith

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